Get Smart

By Danielle Kennedy

If you don't know your product inside and out, youwon't make the sale.

Knowledge and the ability to put it into practice is the firstbasic principle of sales success in any business. And thisprinciple doesn't just apply to whoever is designated as thesalesperson: Knowledge is a requirement for the whole team.

Don't distract yourself by spending money on creativeadvertising or dynamite locations until you get the know-how thingdown. It may be something as seemingly trivial as the proper way toslice a bagel. But great entrepreneurs have always majored in theminors on their path to the top.

Before you spend another nickel on promotion, here are six waysto "know thy product" that will guarantee you morelifetime customers through word-of-mouth advertising than you caneven imagine.

1. "Own" what you sell. By this I mean knowingthe products you sell inside and out--knowing them as well as ifyou had invented them yourself. You can do this by using them,which will help you learn exactly what your products or servicescan do.

Rich Luisi, the wizard salesperson over at Electrolux cleaningsystems, says, "My customers know that I am not bluffing. Iknow what I'm talking about." Luisi is always coming upwith new ways to use his system. Once he mixed a solution oflaundry detergent, poured it into the rug shampooer and removed oilstains from his garage floor.

"When you own what you sell, you discover what the systemscan do," says Luisi. "That type of knowledge shinesthrough during the demonstration."

2. Show what you know. When David Steitz, CEO ofCharacters Inc., a multimillion-dollar computer typesettingbusiness in Houston, did a presentation for an advertising agencythat needed an annual report, he walked in with an 8-inch highstack of annual reports his company had produced for othersatisfied customers and began his presentation.

"The fact that we didn't say anything [about the pileof reports] but just let them sit there was dramatic," saysSteitz. "At the end of the presentation, we simply said, `Doyou see any reason why you would not use us for your report?'The client looked at the pile, and then at us and said, `No, and weare going to use you.' "

3. Get smart about price and delivery. With the increasedcomplexity of products available in the marketplace today, asalesperson who fumbles through catalogs looking for accuratepricing or delivery dates is fumbling his or her way out of asale.

Some companies do not offer discounts no matter what quantity isordered; others offer quantity breakdowns, and that can meansubstantial savings. This can make all the difference with adecision maker. Salespeople need to constantly update and educatethemselves on pricing and structure changes. The same applies fordelivery dates.

4. Know thy competition. Back to our java discussion. Thecafe owner and personnel who don't know a cappuccino from alatte should visit a Coffee Beanery or a Starbucks. The people whowork there are on-the-money java junkies. They never miss. I say:"Double cappuccino dry." When they hand me a cup, I cantell by the feel that it's perfect because it's so light.Ahhhh, perfection.

Learning from the competition is the way to become moreprofessional and develop better products.

5. Provide customer education. Many companies todayconsider customer education a vital part of the sales and serviceeffort. When a customer spends a bundle on a product, traininghelps him or her get maximum value out of the purchase.

Recently, I had a heating system installed in my home that keepsthe floors and walls heated via underground plastic piping. Liquidheated to 100 degrees flows throughout the system. The week thefinal installation took place, my husband and I were given lots ofinstructions. We were also assigned a customer servicerepresentative to help us through any future difficulties. When weoriginally considered purchasing the system instead of a standardforced-air heating system, it was the knowledge of the salesperson(he owns one, too) and the promise of ongoing education thatcemented the deal.

Part of consumer education is discussing a product's futuremaintenance and care. Prospects want to know what's going tohappen after they buy. Today's consumers are very impressedwith products that come with a lengthy warranty and require only aminimum of maintenance. Discussing that can be a strong sellingpoint.

Any salesperson or entrepreneur whose product knowledge isextensive and accurate is better able to satisfy customers. Thisalone is the most important reason for becoming thoroughly familiarwith the products you sell. As you become more knowledgeable, youwill gain greater self-confidence and enthusiasm as a salesperson,be better able to overcome objections, and develop stronger salesappeals and scripts.